Transconductance is a property of certain electrical components. Transconductance components can provide an electrical current output based on a voltage input. For example, if the input voltage increases then the output current may similarly increase. The ability to output an analog signal as a current can have advantages such as providing a signal over longer wire or transmission distances than is possible with a voltage signal, and also has utility in many electronic circuits. Furthermore, current mode signals can be insensitive to voltage drops or voltage differences, which provide a robustness that is desirable in many systems.
In general, transconductance devices suffer from several problems that include performance issues over an operating range. In certain systems, when an input voltage was low, noise resulting from an amplifier in the transconductance circuit would be the dominant noise source. Other amplifier related contributions may also become more significant with low input voltages, such contributions may include offsets from the amplifier. Transconductance devices or circuits may also be known as voltage to current converters.